In 1996's "Jingle All the Way," Arnold Schwarzenegger goes through hell and high water to get his son the hottest Christmas toy of the season. He has several run-ins with the police, busts a toy counterfeiting ring, and crashes a holiday parade. You've probably never gone that far in the pursuit of the perfect gift.

However, it's much more likely that you've found yourself in a bidding war on eBay. The pressure to keep up with the Joneses and get your friends and family items they'll love may cause you to spend a lot more money than you'd like. Save yourself some trouble and loads of cash by buying these items from traditional retailers instead.

eBay flippers are people that buy popular items for the sole purpose of reselling it for a huge profit. And they don't just buy a few items, they use computers that utilize thousands of credit card numbers in order to buy an item out of stock. We've seen it happen with sporting event tickets and now it's happening to the most popular toys.